Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Friday, 22 September 2017

In a State of Denial ?



Today’s Business Standard carries a news report titled :




Narendra Modi likely to announce big-bang economic package on Monday



Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce some big-ticket measures on Monday — also the birth centenary of Sangh Parivar icon Deendayal Upadhyaya — to stimulate the economy, which saw growth plunging to a three-year low of 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2017-18. 


Modi might announce a package for power, housing and social welfare programmes to generate jobs and perk up demand. The package is being pegged at Rs 40,000-50,000 crore. 




If anyone thinks this stimulus will turn the economy around , he is in a State of Denial  !



Last quarter , “ Manufacturing Sector “ grew at 1.6 % , whereas “ Service Sector “ grew at 8.7 %



Two years back , NDA government was obsessed with the idea of increasing the share of manufacturing in our GDP from 15 % to 25 %



Now , 2 years later , exactly the opposite seems to be happening !



It was argued that such a shift ( from SERVICES to  MANUFACTURING  ) , will provide jobs to those 12 million youth joining the ranks of UN-EMPLOYED , each year






But PRIVATE investment in Manufacturing is just not happening  !  Nor likely to happen , any time soon !



And , if and where , it is happening , very few new jobs are getting created ( - what with creation of just ONE job in large organized sector , requires CAPITAL of around Rs 1 CRORE  ! )



With ever-rising wages , more and more , industrialists are going in for AUTOMATION through deploying ROBOTS – which do not demand salary-raise / do not get tired / work for 24 hours / do not take leave or go on strike or mind being laid off …etc 

 !





And when the businesses  do need some humans ( to work in factories / offices / shops / warehouses etc ) , they are hiring TEMPORARY STAFF from companies like TeamLease etc )



Business Line ( 16 Sept ) reports :



“ Yet , organized temp staffing is expected to touch 2.9 million by 2018 from 2.1 million a year ago , making India the third largest employer of such staff after the US and Japan , where 7 – 11 per cent of the work force is under this model “



Why such a sudden “ love “ for temps ?



Temps are not a permanent liability, governed by umpteen unwieldy labour laws



They can be “ let go” , if there is a downturn in business ( without inviting problems associated with retrenchment related laws )



May be , such TEMP STAFFING is neither governed by Contract Labour ( Abolition and Regulation ) Act  - which carries onerous conditions in respect of wages to be paid / absorption into permanent cadre after continuous service of 11 months / leave ..etc !



Just pay some , mutually agreed upon lump sum for an OUTCOME ( - and not hours worked , with or without outcome ! )




I suppose the TEMP STAFFING providers take care of all of these headaches , leaving the business free to focus on its core activities



It is not difficult to see why our SERVICE SECTOR is growing at a rapid pace



Because , it is largely consists of SELF EMPLOYED , who



·         Deliver to you their services at your home for a lump sum


·         Need very little CAPITALINVESTMENT to create a job for themselves






Here are a few examples :



Cook  /  Carpenter  / Driver / Electrician / Florist / Housemaid / Housekeeper / Yoga Instructor / Tutors / Maid / Nurse / Painter / Personal Trainer / Physiotherapist  / Plumber / Repairer / Singer / Social Worker / Street vendor / Delivery Boys / Cleaner / Mason / Scrap Collector etc 



When will our Policy Makers realize that they need to
 :

·         stop chasing the MIRAGE of MANUFACTURING


·         just get out of the way of the Self Employed by trying to “ regulate “ their businesses


·         encourage temporary employment by abolishing the Contract Labour ( Abolition and Regulation ) Act


·         Totally re-write the Apprentice Act / Factory Act


·         Introduce “ Human Enterprise Act “ which turns our economy around by making it a “ Low Cost Economy “


·         Make India , the “ BackFactory of the World






·         First “ CreateWealth to Create Jobs




This is the  STIMULUS  PACKAGE  that will revive our economy





23  Sept  2017







  



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